The DTP (Downtown Partnership, not to be confused with DTV, the Downtown Vandals) has announced the full lineup for the Friday Night Concerts in the park. Not too many surprises, except maybe the inclusion of Knock Knock. A Kevin Seconds-themed show, Bucho, The Brodys, Mick Martin etc. are all classic picks. I can’t find the full lineup from last year but I remember some better shows.

I guess the other interesting inclusion this year is freakin hot buzzworthy Middle Class Rut, which you keep hearing on KWOD.

(I like the DTP events calendar’s default text for a broken search page like this one for last year’s lineup… “What”)

I intend the focus of my posts here to be primarily on local music, so consider this entry an aberration. Yesterday, my department took me out to lunch for a belated birthday celebration. We had wanted to try Chicago Fire, but for some reason they are only open for dinner. I thought it a bit odd to hear of a pizza place that doesn’t do lunch, but perhaps the lunch crowd isn’t so big on that end of J Street, since our substitute restaurant, Gianni’s Trattoria only had about a 10-12 other diners the entire two hours we were there.

However, the primary reason I am writing this is not to review the cuisine – which folks like sac-eats can do much better than I – it’s more to give y’all a couple heads-up warnings. First, that if you want to go to Chicago Fire you’ll have to make it for dinner. Second, it’s probably not a good idea to visit Gianni’s right now, because they are renovating the space next to the restaurant and the entire time we were there they were hammering on the walls, which put a bit of a damper on the affair.
Continue reading “whadjasay?” »

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if a tiny band of synthesizer-playing women in Renaissance-themed costumes and drum-kit playing men in white suits crawled out of the speakers at the mall and began to play jazzy versions of Handel’s Messiah, inspiring middle-aged women to compliment one another on their Christmas sweaters? Or are you more the type to wonder what it would be like if Thomas Kinkaide’s artwork went through the video toaster before being projected at a stadium concert? If you’ve ever had these questions, or if you simply enjoy wizardry, Gaelic spellings (e.g. “Faeries”) and being more relaxed than you ever thought you could be in a huge sports stadium, I strongly recommend seeing Mannheim Steamroller next year at Arco Arena.  We went last night.  I don’t think I need to say much more except there is really very little I won’t do to please my in-laws.

Now that I can hyperlink I can bring your attention to an interesting article on the economic prosperity of family-friendly cities on today’s WSJ opinion page.  Note the dis on SF and the promise that those of us girls with college degrees have a 75% chance of getting married. There’s lots of funny things that could be said but still, it’s an interesting story.   

Why kill brain cells on eggnog and turkey-tinis when you can just turn on VH1 and catch a local or two on “America’s Most Smartest Model.”

Grass Valley native VJ is still in the running, while Sacramentan Jesse has already been sent home. Some may remember Slavco (also already sent packing) from VH1’s “Kept” from 2004.

Thankfully, I’ve only caught one full episode, so there’s still hope for a full recovery. The one redeeming quality of this show is that it is co-hosted by the wry Ben Stein; although, I’d love to see guest appearances by Tyra, Miss Jay, Benny Ninja — and just for kicks, Michael Kors and Tim Gunn (just keep Padma away, por favor.)

So, you’re driving on Elvas from Folsom Boulevard and you’re trying to get on to Fair Oaks Boulevard (it’s “Sacramento’s Rodeo Drive” don’t you know, but that’s another post) and you notice a sign indicating that you can go to the right and get on to Fair Oaks Boulevard, or you can go straight and reach the “Central District.”  What is this “Central District” to which the sign alludes?  And when was anything close to Elvas ever considered “Central?”

It has come to my intention that the United States Postal Service plans to rip apart a normally happy and content zip code as of July 1.  Yes, it’s true, a new, unholy creation, the “95811,” will be created to take over some of the peaceable lands once inhabited by the loving peoples of the 95814.  Who is responsible for this, you ask?  I’m guessing that it’s evil developers, or chain stores or maybe even Michael Moore.  Also, I am not yet sure, where the boundary lines are for this abortion of a postal code, but when I do find out, I’ll let you know so that you can steer well clear of it.  Until then, stay vigilant, dear reader.

What we need is more national attention in the media like in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. Profiled on page 4 in the “Obsessive Fan of the Week” blurb is Lincoln resident Joe Ristau who has an entire room of his house dedicated to all things Tina Turner, including every CD, recordings of all her TV appearances, autographs, posters, trading cards, and cardboard cut-outs. There is no Ike in sight in the photo.

Yes, this is a pointless post; I was just excited to see Lincoln in my magazine. Yay for Joe the Tina Turner fan!

While federal, state, and local government employees celebrate Columbus’ arrival in the “new world” by doing laundry or weather-proofing the back deck, I would like to take a moment to share some of my experience as a representative of the Native American population.   

Continue reading “Happy Indigenous People’s Day!” »

Sometime Ragger Stickie sent me a tip that your friendly neighborhood Starbucks is offering “free iced coffee or iced cafe con leche” today from 1-3 pm. I can’t find independent confirmation but this seems to have gone on in other locales very recently so it’s probably legit.

UPDATE: Thanks to CSI Sac we now have independent confirmation that tomorrow is the free iced coffee day.